The US Senate has cleared a $1.7tr (£1.4tr) government funding package, thereby avoiding a shutdown during the holiday season. As per BBC, the House of Representatives must now adopt it so that President Joe Biden can sign it by Friday at midnight.
The package will fund the government through September 30 of the following fiscal year. The 4155-page budget includes steps to aid Ukraine, strengthen US defense, and fund domestic concerns.
Thursday afternoon, the Senate cleared the bill by a vote of 68 to 29 across party lines. The stimulus package includes $772 billion for domestic programs and $858 billion for defense. It comprises over $45 billion in emergency assistance for Ukraine and approximately $38 billion for regions recovering from natural disasters.
The proposal also includes changes to retirement programs and healthcare for low-income Americans. Here are other ways the government intends to spend tax dollars in the coming year, as well as measures introduced to the omnibus bill.
The 45 billion dollars allocated to Ukraine support humanitarian and military help, as well as NATO allies. Reforms to the Electoral Count Act are included in the budget package in reaction to the rioting on January 6 at the Capitol. It would explain the vice president’s duty in tallying and certifying the votes of the Electoral College.
Former President Donald Trump falsely asserted that his vice president has the authority to reverse their 2020 election loss. In response to national security concerns, the law proposes to prohibit the download of the ByteDance-owned TikTok app on government-owned smartphones and other digital devices.
Medicaid: The measure eliminates a provision from the Covid era that loosened eligibility requirements for Medicaid, the program that provides healthcare to low-income Americans. Now, millions of individuals may lose health coverage in the spring.
A clause in the bill delays by six years the implementation of new regulations for lobster fisheries designed to prevent the endangered right whale from being entangled in fishing gear.
A lengthy dispute between Maryland and Virginia over where to transfer the current Federal Bureau of Investigation headquarters – now located in Washington, DC – is postponed by language in the bill providing for additional consultation on future sites.
An increase of 4.6% in pay for military personnel. The congressional police service will receive an additional $132 million, raising its overall budget to $734.5 million.
Security for senators: In recent years, US politicians have received a growing number of threats, and $2.5 million has been granted to bolster security at senators’ homes.
Congress intends to increase the maximum Pell Grant award – annual aid for low-income undergraduates – by $500 to $7,395 for college students. The Child Care and Development Block Grant, which helps low-income families pay for daycare, has had its funding increased by 30 percent to $8 billion.
The Environmental Protection Agency’s budget is increased by $576 million compared to the previous year. Several Republican legislators have expressed annoyance at the size of the package and the fact that they are being asked to vote on a massive bill with a short deadline, leaving them little time to read it.
It is projected to be the last significant item passed by the current Congress before the Republicans assume control of the House in January, following the midterm elections in November. The Senate enacted a stopgap budget deal last week that provided lawmakers additional time to discuss a larger agreement, extending the original funding deadline from December 17 to December 23.
Tuesday morning, House and Republican negotiators announced a plan that had been in the works for months. The “omnibus spending plan” increases funds from approximately $1.5 trillion in the previous fiscal year.
Parts of the government close during a shutdown when legislators cannot agree on a budget. In recent decades, the political game of brinksmanship has become a fixture of American politics. Before spending plans may become legislation under the United States system, the several departments of government must achieve an agreement.
